S. Korea, US pledge to complete stage 2 of OPCON transfer verification by 2026

South Korean Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back (proper) speaks at a joint press briefing with US Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth following the 57th Safety Consultative Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2025. (courtesy of the Ministry of Nationwide Protection)

The protection chiefs of South Korea and the US agreed to finish by 2026 the second stage of functionality verification for the switch of wartime operational management, or OPCON, over Korean troops to Seoul on Tuesday through the 57th Safety Consultative Assembly on the Ministry of Nationwide Protection headquarters within the Korean capital.

The association is anticipated to lend momentum to Korea’s push to regain OPCON for the primary time in years after the US had stalled the verification course of through the COVID-19 pandemic and the initiative fell by the wayside through the administration of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. 

Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back and US Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned South Korea’s plan to retake wartime operational management throughout President Lee Jae Myung’s time in workplace, deciding to wrap up the complete operational functionality (FOC) evaluation, which is able to decide whether or not South Korea is able to operating the Future Mixed Forces Command, by 2026. 

Beforehand, the 2 international locations agreed to a conditions-based switch of wartime OPCON involving three phases of verification, beginning with the preliminary operational functionality (IOC) evaluation, full operational functionality (FOC) evaluation, and the complete mission functionality (FMC) evaluation. 

The 2 international locations are presently within the FOC verification section. 

President Lee Jae Myung additionally met with Hegseth on the presidential workplace in Yongsan. 

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung mentioned throughout a briefing that Lee instructed Hegseth that recovering OPCON inside his time period can be an “vital step in deepening and creating the South Korea-US alliance a step additional.”  

“If we massively bolster our capability and lead the protection of the Korean Peninsula, the US has much less to fret about concerning safety within the Indo-Pacific,” Lee reportedly added. 

To this, Hegseth reportedly praised South Korea’s efforts to extend protection spending and to bolster its protection capability by means of the most recent standard weapons and nuclear-powered submarines and vowed his help, whereas calling Korea a “mannequin ally.”

The 2 high protection officers apparently agreed to incorporate content material about nuclear-powered submarines of their joint assertion. Nonetheless, within the press convention following his assembly with Ahn, Hegseth was questioned about an association the place the US gives the nuclear gasoline whereas South Korea builds the submarines domestically. Hegseth responded that he couldn’t share any particulars concerning the approval course of, avoiding giving a direct reply. 

“We stay up for partnering with much more, whether or not it’s floor warfare or submarines [. . .] So there’s going to be an amazing deal to be made, and I feel it’ll be mutually useful to each international locations,” he added, indicating that there are nonetheless variations of opinion between the US and South Korea. 

The 2 sides agreed to proceed talks to work out the small print concerning the place the submarines can be constructed. 

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, workers reporter; Search engine optimization Younger-ji, workers reporter

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